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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Ah, here's a character. A friend of mine introduced me to this guy and i took an immediate liking to him. In talking about the music that comes from this talented man, my friend said, "Every time i listen to Jeff Carl i can't help but be in a happy mood; i just love to sing along with his music."

That about sums it up for this talented one. But in terms of his sound, i personally would describe it as just plain smooth and content-like. He's a multi-instrumentalist for sure playing keys and guitar!

To top it, he's got an amazing range! His vocals can be quite low and almost kind of a quiet talking, but then can be a kind of high pitched "Ooh!" sound. These two fit together like finding the last puzzle piece and putting it in.

i'm pretty sure the first song i heard by this guy, and the the one that exemplifies his talent best, is "I'll Be Gone Tomorrow." i Extremely encourage you all to check that out as well as the rest of the EP which is.... FREE! So please, go to Jeff Carl's facebook page and 'like' him. His lyrics, sound, and overall remarkableness make this guy a Real indie champ!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Spring started a few days ago...so i've been thinking, why not share some Spring Standards with you! In the Spring i am thoroughly fond of taking long walks in a breeze, eating outside on a cool patio, somersaulting down rolling hills of green.. No seriously. This group is something else!

They can churn out some great indie chunes! And i would say their sound is certainly indie because of the way they sing. Definitely some good ol' harmonies with male and female vocals, but the way it is put together and how it has that kind of, "old" sound?

Which makes since because one of their influences is The Beatles! It's really neat and i suggest hearing "Only Skin" and "Wildfire Forest!" Of course they've got music over at their Noisetrade page, so turn it up!

In addition to the vocals, they also have some piano, bells, guitar, drums, symbols, and more like mad! i'm quite sure their live show is quite the Show! Speaking of which, these guys were just touring with one of my top favorite indie bands called Jukebox the Ghost. i Would review these guys as well, because they've certainly got The Sound, but, they've got a pretty good following; i just hope they get bigger!

But please check out these Standards! They're such a good change of pace and should have a lot more fans!! i Would love to see their facebook 'likes' to go over 6K! Here's to the Spring and i hope your's includes some of these fun people!

This is going to be a little different from my other posts...here's why: i Have no idea who these two are and my sister is the one that found them! Lots of props to her. Please enjoy my sister's post about Lowland Hum! Meanwhile, i'm off to go download some serious..Hum's!!

"When Theo invited me to write a post for his blog, I couldn't decide where to start. Who are the 'undiscovered's' that I listen to? Who would I want to do a review of?

I get most of my music recommendations now from my little brother. It's pretty awesome because I can just sit back and listen to whatever he recommends! I think it used to be the other way around where I was the one finding the good music out there..... ;) [<--She nailed it here. Exactly what happened back in the day. Thanks sis, for starting me off right!]

I went to a house show recently where a guy named Daniel Levi Goans played -- I had never heard of him before but he was showing up at my friend's house so of course I went to check him out! He played with his wife and the two of them together was an unbelievable combination. Their harmonies and melodies are mind-blowing. It's no wonder they decided this January to form a band together and now are known as Lowland Hum. These two (DLG and Lauren) are from North Carolina and got married in Feb. 2012. They are a "folk" duo with super great lyrics and mellow tunes. The way they get around the US is from house show to house show. You should sign up to host them!! They are so great live. Grab a free download and learn more about them at their Bandcamp page or main site here!

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Now, who are these charming, stunning, bathed in talent ladies? First the one on the right, Laura, kills the violin in multiple acts including on tour with Owl City and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The one on the left, Kelsey, sings in the Kopecky Family Band as well as Feather & Belle. i'm quite sure they have a marvelous time together making music because it is beautiful what they have created.

i Do not know of another indie group that has strings so prevalent and so powerfully intermingled with vocals. It is such a neat, clean, pure, classical sound..it's hard to find enough words to describe it! Kelsey's voice intertwines phenomenally with the violin strokes, and sometimes plucking (which i cannot get enough of)!

Despite the popularity of the other projects these two are involved in, their own duo work has not received that boost yet! They have some great songs that show their diversity and talent like "Hidden Staircase" that can be found on the right of that page. In addition there is certainly some synthesizer, but the strings always seem to just mix in so well. Here's to hoping another album is in the oven because...they've only put out "Pockets Run Deep" and us fans are ready!

i Have personally met Laura on more than one occasion at Owl City shows and i know she is genuinely nice and such a great person all around. Although i have yet to meet Kelsey, i know if she is anything like her best friend, she is right up there on my list of "Coolest Individuals." Please check out this pair as they are just..pretty unique, but too pretty as well..!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

First off, does that guy with the acoustic and the hair and the tatts look a tad familiar? If not, do the lyrics, "Vindicated, i am selfish i am wrong, I am right I swear I'm right...!" ring any bells? If not, does the band Dashboard Confessional sound familiar?! If not...you can stop reading. If you want..

i Guess we can kinda' sorta' maybe pretend you haven't heard of DC, but i'm feeling immensely sorry for you right now if you haven't heard of them. Anyway, that cool dude with the acoustic is named Chris Carrabba and he's fronted several projects including Further Seems Forever, DC, and now this Twin Forks and all of its amazingness.

If you know a bit about Carrabba, you'd know why this is such a brilliant li'l gig. He's moved from harder rock, to emo/acoustic tunes and now to folk!

Basically, to sum up this group, think emotional-power-indie! They've got the mandolin, guitar, harmonies and drums bangin' around! Why I say "emotional" is an excellent question and it can be answered by explaining how these guys are set apart from the others out there. When Carrabba sings, you can hear (and feel!) his passion. It's what i love about his singing capabilities.

If you like some folk with emotion, you've found the stinkin' band! Here's the bad news, there's only two songs out right now! Good news: One of them is free and called "Scraping Up the Pieces." Plus, new music is coming out "soon" so all we've gotta' do is...wait and,..cry. But, pleease go enjoy and 'like' them, because they need the support and deserve worlds more of attention.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

i'm sure you've heard of that now famous group The Avett Brothers? Well, let me introduce you to something that's similer but with a little more of indie twist! These guys know how to play some serious tunes with their folksy-indie sounds. Hailing from Seattle, you might not think these guys can pull off the sound they do, but you would be mistaken.

They are absolute pro's at what they do and i find it unimagenable that they don't have a bigger following. When they're first full length record came out, iTunes chose their song "Running for Cover" for the iTunes Free Single of the week and yet their fans on facebook only number less than 6,000!

They have quite a neat sound as noted already and it includes some amazing harmonies to great folk-rock guitars and simple drum beats. The vocalist is very prominent and can be heard easily over the instruments, but all in a way that smooths over nicely.

Some singers just can't quite get "it," in that they often times are drowned out or have voices which are too stark in contrast with their instruments. This is a group that gets it perfectly. The harmonies melding with the melody and then connecting just right to the instrumental part is how it should be done, and frankly I&A get this.

i Really hope you can go support this great group of indie goodness. They know what they're trying to play and they play it impeccably.